Little Ellie Claus, by James Manos Jr. has been sitting unread on my shelf for quite a while. I was determined to read it this year. Lucy and Peter are young, in love, and setting off on an adventure. With all their pets in tow, they head to New York in 1933 where Peter has been offered a job. When things don't work out quite like they hoped, they struggle along with most of the country, in the midst of depression.
I feel that almost everything else I put in a summary will ruin the story, so I'm going to refrain. There were a few things that I loved about the story. The basic idea was really great and I knew from the beginning that something I didn't like was going to happen. It worried me and I considered putting the book back on the shelf. I did plod through and I found a lot of joy in the story. Peter and Lucy were great characters, with a lot of life and warmth. Santa and Mrs. Claus were joyful and fun loving, just as Santa should be.
I did not care for the character of Henry. I didn't get it. He confused me and was way to excitable. He wasn't necessary to the plot. I also had a problem with the very end. Without giving anything away, I am an adoptee and I don't feel that the end was handled very well. It just wouldn't happen. Very hard to be specific without giving things away!!!
I think the book is worth a read. It's pretty short and could be read fairly quickly. I would go in knowing that some characters may annoy you and that the ending is a bit rushed.
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